Maid of Wayne Manor
by Flamebird1001
Summary: Okay, so the only reason Zatanna even applied, is because she is in serious need of some cash. She's desperate, okay? And it's a pretty easy job too, all she has to do is be the maid for the four boys living in Wayne Manor. Pretty easy, right?
1. Prologue

Okay, Hi! So I've decided to try writing a story where Zatanna is living in the Wayne Manor. It's pretty much a bonding fic between Zatanna and Damian, Jason, Tim and Richard.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Prologue

Let's get one thing straight: if Zatanna Zatara wasn't so despairingly desperate, there was no way in hell she would even consider doing something like this.

But now, because she literally has $10 to her name and a very angry landlord that is *this* close to kicking her out, Zatanna really has no choice. In times like these, it's really a choice between her dignity or food.

Zatanna knows it's unfair, but she kind of blames her predicament on her dad. If he hadn't died, if that stupid idiot with a gun hadn't shot him in cold blood, Zatanna would still be living with him in their Manor on the outskirts of Gotham. She was sure she was meant to get some inheritance, but because her father hadn't written a will, most of her assets got sent to be 'looked after' by her fathers apparently close friend, Abra Kadabra (yeah, his name is weird, but he's a magician, like her dad, and prefers to go with his stage name.)

To sum things up, after her dad died, Zatanna got zilch, and for months she had been living off the money she had saved as a teen. Sadly, the money was dwindling quickly, and because she hadn't been able to find a job for so long, it wasn't soon until Zatanna had become a few notches short of desperate.

But then, something amazing happened, and_ Bruce Wayne_, yeah, big _Gotham's richest man_ Bruce Wayne, had seen her job application and actually offered her a job. It wasn't exactly what Zatanna wanted, and she was dieing of mortification as she said yes, but she had little choice, so Zatanna accepted the job.

And really, it wasn't such a bad deal. Zatanna got to live in the huge Wayne Manor with four of Wayne's sons; Richard Grayson (who she was pretty sure she went to high school with) Jason Todd, Tim Drake and little Damian Wayne. She practically got free lodging and the chance to do whatever she wanted. It would only be temporary, of course, just until Bruce Wayne and his butler came back from their three month long business trip. Still, after they came back, Zatanna would get paid a ton of money, which meant that she would be able to start her own magic show and make a living.

The downside to all of this? Zatanna Zatara would be living in the Wayne Manor, as a maid.


	2. Week 1

Firstly, can I just say that I am so so so so sorry that this thing took me ages to update! I was mental blanking for weeks on this chapter, and now I've just finally finished writing it. Thanks for the support for the first chapter! I've had this idea for a long time, and I'm excited that I am finally able to write it!

Okay, here are a few things that you should know before hand: Zatanna doesn't have her magic powers. I'm not saying that she wont ever have them, I'm just saying that right now, she has no magic abilities.

And secondly, I sincerely apologize about my writing of the characters. I haven't heard much about Damian or Jason, so they might seem really OOC, which is exactly the opposite of what I want to happen.

And the last thing you need to know, every chapter is about a week long, but I don't write about everyday, because it would be boring and repetitive (Zatanna's a maid, she cooks and cleans, it's pretty boring.) The first chapter is just about showing her initial relationships with the characters, and throughout the story my goal is to really show ho her relationships change (especially with Dick.)

Yep, that's all I have to say! Please give me any kind of feedback, it inspires me to write more!

* * *

Week 1: Meet Your New Maid

* * *

Zatanna gave herself an appraising look in the stainless steel kettle she was now brewing coffee with. She had chosen her outfit carefully, not wanting to look to dressy, but still wanting to look good, because hey, if she was going to be a maid, she might as well be a hot one. Not that her cheap black skinny jeans and white top was exactly 'hot' or anything, but she did put eyeliner and mascara on, so like, she tried.

Today was her first day as the official (temporary) maid of Wayne Manor. She had arrived super early in the morning (okay, she had arrived at 9, but for someone who's been unemployed for nine months, it's really super early) to get ready for her job. The other boys of the Manor had already left for school, and Mr Wayne informed her that his eldest ward, who usually lived in Bludhaven, was going to come and spend three months to keep an eye on the house. Then Alfred, the trusty butler, escorted Zatanna around the house. He gave her a set of keys, showed her the guest bedroom, and then gave her detailed instructions on how to manage the household. Just when Zatanna was about to think Alfred was going to give her a demonstration on how to use a feather duster, Mr Wayne dragged him away and rode off into the sunset, wishing Zatanna good luck as he left.

So yeah, that was where Zatanna was now, trying to prepare lunch for the boys, who were probably due back any moment now. Zatanna was glad that Alfred had already prepared lunch, so all Zatanna had to do was set it out. She had no idea of what she was going to for dinner though, because she sort of maybe but couldn't really cook. And being able to cook was like one of the perquisites to being a maid. Zatanna had actually lied on her resume (everybody does it) and she sincerely hoped that none of the Wayne kids had seen it (who reads a resume anyway?)

But she'd figure the cooking thing out later. Like her dad always said, 'if fate let it be.'

Not that Zatanna really believed in magic or anything. She was a magician, but what she did was just glorified pick-pocketing, really. Prestidigitation, or sleight of hand, and illusions. That's the only magic she ever needed to believe in.

Her dad though, he was different. He was very much a believer of the sacred science; he was super sure magic existed. For some reason, though, he never allowed Zatanna to touch his 'magic' books. Probably thought she'd become a satanic cult worshipper or something.

Zatanna finished laying out the last of the silverware and sat down with a sigh. Doing chores was hard work, and for three months, chores would be all she was doing. She was so desperate to get a job though, Zatanna didn't really mind. Well, at least not yet. She was still trying to be extremely grateful that Bruce Wayne had even given her a job.

"You're not Alfred."

The sudden noise of a person speaking scared Zatanna so much that she practically jumped out of her seat and shrieked. She whirled around to realise that it was only a little boy, one who was pretty much giving her the most deadliest glare she had ever seen on a person. Her heart was still beating erratically, but she tried to calm herself down.

"Where did you even come from?" Zatanna asked him, her voice going shrill, she put a hand over her racing heart.

The boy ignored her, totally non-pulsed by her actions, "You're not Alfred," he repeated.

Before Zatanna could answer, another boy, a young teenager, walked into the dining room. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Zatanna, "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're our new maid."

Zatanna nodded, and opened her mouth to speak, when another black haired boy, a little older than the last, walked into the room. Seriously, how the hell did they just keep appearing like that?

The eldest boy gave her an appraising look, and then said, "Hot."

Zatanna didn't exactly know how to take that, seeing as the boy looked seventeen and she was around 21, but she did appreciate the compliment (she had put make-up on, for crying out loud, didn't people understand how much effort that took?)

"I'm Zatanna. Didn't Mr Wayne tell you that you were going to have a new maid?" Zatanna asked.

"Yeah, but we didn't expect someone… like you," the middle-aged boy said carefully, "I'm Tim, by the way. And Damian is the youngest, and Jason is on my right."

The boys stood awkwardly in front of Zatanna, Damian scowling at her, Tim looking nervous, and Jason was more than definitely staring at her chest.

"Alright, guys. I just put the car in, and Jason, for the love of God; can you not eat French fries of the back seat and leave grease marks all over the leather? You know how much Bruce hates it," A new voice called out from behind the dining room doors.

Zatanna stiffened. She knew that voice, knew it almost too well. Sure enough, the dining room doors opened, and an incredibly good looking guy with shaggy dark hair and the bluest blue eyes walked in.

In short, Dick Grayson, Zatanna's high school… friend, had just walked through the door.

Zatanna could feel her breath catch in her throat, and Dick's eyes locked on hers. For a second, they just stood there, staring at each other. Zatanna couldn't believe how good looking he was. Perfect build, perfect muscles, perfect everything. She can't believe he had changed so much in nine months.

Okay, so the truth was, she and Dick had a… history. They were friends in Gotham Academy, and they had kind of had this _thing_. Sometimes it was platonic, sometimes it was more. Dick had been Zatanna's closest… uh, friend with benefits for years.

She hadn't seen Dick since her dad's funeral nine months ago.

"Wow… uh, hey, Zatanna, it's been a while," Dick said softly.

Zatanna wasn't sure how to respond. Give him a complete cold shoulder? Have a passionate make-out session with him in front of his brothers?

Zatanna chose to go with the third option, a regal nod of her head towards him, and then point out the food at the table, "Lunch," she said, "or afternoon tea. Whatever you guys call it."

"Looks great, doll face. You make it?" Jason asked.

Zatanna glared at him, "Okay, so firstly, it's never going to happen, so don't call me doll face or any other nickname, and secondly, Alfred made it, so could you all please just sit down and eat? The endless staring is kind of freaking me out."

Tim let out a snort of laughter, and Dick rolled his eyes in a relaxed manner, "Always the drama queen. Take a seat, Zatanna. I guess we have some things to talk about."

Zatanna smiled at them, took a piece of pie, and tried to just go with the flow.

* * *

The next few days went by like a blur. There was a certain system in the Manor, and Zatanna was still trying to adjust. She would wake up early in the morning, prepare breakfast, and eat with the boys before they went to school/work. She would then spend time cleaning different rooms of the house, Monday was dining rooms/living rooms (because this place had like, seven. No joke) Tuesday was libraries, and so on. She already knew she would hate Thursdays the most. They were toilet days.

She would lay out afternoon tea, and then spend the day talking to random members of the house. She mainly stuck to talking to either Tim or Jason, because Damian just glared at her and she had no idea what Dick would want to say to her. She actually spent a lot of time avoiding him.

After Zatanna laid out dinner, the boy would go off and do their own things. Zatanna was strictly not allowed to clean any of the boys' rooms, or Bruce Wayne's study. Those areas were completely out of bounds. She was however, allowed to go anywhere else in the house, and seriously, it was very hard to get bored in Wayne Manor.

Today was a day like any other, she was half-heartedly listening to Jason and Tim argue until Jason asked her a direct question, "So, Zee, what are we having for dinner?"

Zatanna thought for a moment, "I have no idea. I'll see what Alfred had prepared."

She walked to the kitchen, rummaging in the fridge for Alfred's prepared meals. Suddenly, she could feel her blood turning to ice.

They were all out of Alfred's packaged meals.

Oh God, she would have to cook dinner tonight!

Oh my God, Zatanna, think! How does she get out of cooking dinner?

"Um, hey guys, who's up for pizza tonight?" Zatanna called out from the kitchen.

"We had pizza on Friday," Damian muttered from the dining room.

Okay, was it bad that Zatanna really wanted to strangle a nine year old kid?

Jason walked up to the counter of the kitchen and leaned against it, "I was kinda hoping that you could make dinner tonight. I mean, in your resume, it says you were a chef's apprentice."

Agh! They had actually bothered to read her resume? Who even does that? Okay, remember when Zatanna said she couldn't cook? Well, maybe she had put a tiny white lie on her resume saying that she was a five star chef's apprentice.

Hey, in her defence, she had really needed a job.

"You know what, Jason, you are absolutely right. You go ahead and wait in the dining room, I'll need some time to cook," Zatanna told him cheerfully, waving him away.

As soon as Jason sauntered out of the room, Zatanna felt like breaking down and crying, She surveyed the room, spotting a window that was too small and too high to climb out of.

Damn rich people and their ridiculously high ceilings.

Okay, you know what? Zatanna could do this. She could try cooking. Everyone cooks. Cooking should be easy. Spaghetti was easy, right? All you needed were tomatoes and those stringy things. She was pretty sure she saw some in the pantry.

Zatanna opened the pantry, and found a large packet of hard spaghetti strips. She dunked them in a bowl of cold water, hoping that that would soften it. She then got four tomatoes and squashed them. She couldn't help but squeal as tomato juice splattered all over her face and top. She added the squashed tomatoes to the water and started trying to stir the pot. The spaghetti was still hard, so Zatanna decided to try and put it on the stove. As she was walking with the pot, she slipped on some tomato juice. The pot crashed to the floor, most of the contents spilling on her. Zatanna wiped the mixture away from her eyes, and picked up the pot. Half the spaghetti was still in there, so she could use that. She shoved it on the stove top, and then began to scrub away at the stuff on the floor.

"Zatanna, what happened in here?" Dick's voice floated over her shoulder.

He was looking in from the kitchen door, surveying the disaster kitchen.

Zatanna got up, trying to act non-chalant, "Oh, you know, just cooking dinner."

"Really?" Dick asked, stepping inside the kitchen.

He walked over to Zatanna, too close, so close that she could practically feel his body heat radiating off him. He plucked a goop of tomato juice from her hair, and Zatanna shuddered.

"It sounded like a war zone in here," he said in a low tone.

"Spaghetti. Very violent," Zatanna replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Dick suddenly moved away from her, and Zatanna nearly fell. He walked around the kitchen, and stared at Zatanna's creation.

"Is that supposed to be spaghetti?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Um… do I have to answer that?"

Dick laughed, his usual cackling laugh that had Zatanna smiling, "Wow. I knew that you couldn't have been a chef's apprentice. I still remember cooking class from high school. You nearly burnt down the kitchen… twice."

"Those were totally accidents! And you started one of them!" Zatanna protested.

"Yet I still managed to pass with honors," Dick replied, smirking.

"Look, are you just going to mock me, or are you going to be useful?" Zatanna asked him.

"What kind of useful do you have in mind?" Dick asked flirtatiously.

Never one to back down on a challenge, Zatanna slid her body closer to his, running her fingers down her arm, "Not the kind of useful you're thinking of," she whispered in his ear.

She pulled back, laughing at his bemused expression, and then handed him a mop, "Help me clean up, and then, maybe you could help me make dinner?"

"Only if you stop actively avoiding me," Dick replied.

Zatanna felt a blush rise to her cheeks, "You noticed?"

"You practically ran down the hall when you saw me coming down the stairs."

"Subtlety was never my strong point," Zatanna said sheepishly.

"I'm not going to interrogate you, Zatanna. I haven't seen you in months, and now we practically stay in the same house. We were friends, and I don't want to spend the next three months not being able to say hi to you. Nine months was bad enough."

"Dick…" Zatanna said softly, not knowing how to respond.

"I'll help you cook, and then you stop avoiding me. Deal?" Dick asked.

Zatanna smiled, "Deal."

* * *

The Batcave was strangely silent without Batman in it, which was weird, because Batman was very, very quiet.

Dick, now fully dressed in his Nightwing attire, walked into the Batcave with Tim, now Robin, by his side.

Dick was always slightly amazed by the Batcave. Everything here was so pristine, so methodical, so Batman. It had all these cool kinds of gadgets and gizmos, and it even had that dark, gritty feeling that accompanied Batman.

The rest of the house was still asleep. Well, Dick hoped that Damian and Zatanna were. He had no idea about Jason, who seemed to do his own thing as the Red Hood. Dick didn't want to admit it, but he could feel Jason slipping from them. He was already barred from the Batcave, and the Red Hood was just becoming more and more ruthless. Dick felt it was only a matter of time before he and Batman would have to hunt down the Red Hood too.

"Zatanna's pretty cool," Tim said, cutting into Dick's thoughts.

Dock nodded, clicking on the computer, "She's very cool. I just wish that Bruce had told us she was going to be the maid."

"You know Bruce, mystery all the way," Tim joked.

Dick smiled slightly, watching Tim open a couple of files. Tim was booting up the live webcam so that Bruce and them could have their weekly chats.

Dick was still confused about Zatanna. They had had this thing, and then she had just up and left, and now she was back. He didn't really know what to think. He was still trying to process that after nine months, she was back in his life again.

"Good evening, boys," Bruce said through the webcam, and Dick was jerked back into reality.

"How's the undercover mission?" Tim asked.

"It's going," Bruce answered, as cryptic as always.

Bruce's 'three month business trip' was actually just a cover for a Batman mission that Bruce had wanted to take alone. He had taken Alfred with him for 'back-up.' Batman didn't say much else about it, so Dick guessed that this was Bruce's own private war.

Either that, or it involved Selina Kyle or Talia Al Ghul.

"How's Gotham?"

"Crime rate is the usual. No unusual spikes of activity. Last night, Nightwing and I put Two-face back in Arkham Asylum. The Scarecrow is still unaccounted for," Tim informed him.

"And the Manor? How is the maid?"

"Manor is secure, the maid-" Tim was cut off by Dick.

"Why didn't you say it was Zatanna? Why didn't you tell us this maid that you hired us to protect is Zatanna?" Dick asked.

"It didn't make a difference. Objective was still the same. There are people after Zatanna, and I hired as a maid so you could protect her at all times," Batman replied sternly.

"But why? I could have just kept tabs on her. There was no need to hire her as a maid. You know that," Dick said.

"I know. I could've sent either you or Robin to watch over her. But she needed help, and I made a promise to her father that I would keep her safe. That I would take care of her," Batman replied.

"You knew Giovanni Zatara?" Tim exclaimed.

"He was a good man. I have to go now. Same time next week," Batman said, and then he cut the connection.

Robin and Dick stared at each other for a moment.

"I can't believe someone would want to hurt Zee," Tim said.

"Well, we're not going to let that happen. Get on the R-cycle," Dick said, already clambering on top of his own motorbike.

"We're going to the warehouse on the pier, right? The one with the mob bosses?" Tim asked.

"Race ya there!" Dick cackled as he sped out of the Batcave.


	3. Week 2

Week 2 – A look into the mysterious life of Damian Wayne

* * *

One week in, and Zatanna had figured out a system for living in the Manor. Wake up in the morning, set up breakfast, and let the boys eat whatever they want. Then, tidy up different areas of the house while the boys were at school (or in Dick's case, work) and then prepare the afternoon snack. After that, it was more cleaning and then usually Dick or Tim would make dinner.

Yeah, her system worked… but it was still so boring.

Zatanna was a magician, a stage actor. She should be living it up in Hollywood or something, not cleaning the dozens of toilets in this stupid Manor.

And more than that, Zatanna was bored. She literally hadn't left the house in over a week, and she was feeling a bit stir crazy. Add to the fact that she was moping around on a Friday night, Zatanna felt like even more of a sad case.

"Zee!" Tim called out to her.

Zatanna was currently in the informal lounge room, where she had the TV up loud and was playing some sappy romance movie.

"What's up, Tim?" Zatanna called back, gesturing for him to come inside.

Tim walked into the room, settling himself in the couch. Zatanna found it funny how even when he was relaxed, Tim still gave the aura of being studious and professional.

"Okay, so Dick and I are going to be heading out, and then I'm going to a sleepover at a friend's house and Dick's going to be out late. You'll be fine alone, right?"

"Uh, yeah Tim. I think I can handle myself on a Friday night. Anyway, I'll have Jason and Damian to give me company," Zatanna replied.

"Negative on the Jason time, Zee," Jason called out from the hallway, "I'm gonna be out late and all, so don't stay up waiting for me."

Tim glared at him, "Can I ask what you're doing?"

"As a matter of fact, you can't. See ya Zee, Replacement," Jason said, mock bowing and exiting the house.

Zatanna gave Tim a quizzical look but he just brushed it off. Standing up, he gave Zatanna a pair of keys, "Dick told me to give this to you. In case you become too bored in the house," he said, and with a cheerful wave, he was off.

Zatanna stared down at the keys, guessing they were car keys or something. As tempted as she was to use them, she couldn't exactly leave Damian alone in the Manor. That would just be irresponsible.

Zatanna looked at the keys in her hand. They seemed to be calling out to her. They wanted to her use them. And let's be honest, this was Bruce Wayne's car. When would she ever get the chance to drive something as cool as that?

Damian. Remember Damian. She couldn't just leave him alone.

Unless…

"Damian!" Zatanna yelled, pulling on her black coat and a scarf. There was a pattering of footsteps and Damian appeared at the door, standing next to Zatanna with his usual scowl.

"How do you feel about a little outing?"

Damian glared at her, and then with an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders, he walked out the door.

* * *

Which is how, Zatanna is driving the most luxurious car she has ever been in. It was beautiful, absolutely stunning. She wasn't even much of a car person, but even she couldn't stop drooling when she saw the car. Damian had rolled his eyes and shoved her into the car.

It was just… so fancy, so sleek, so… Wayne. Only a person with a lot of money could afford a car as amazing as this. Wayne probably had a dozen more like these.

"Where are we going?" Damian asked; the first sentence he had said to Zatanna since she arrived.

"Nowhere, everywhere, I don't know. I was just feeling a little cooped up in the house."

"Can we go to Millers Park?" Damian asked.

"Isn't that like, an hour's drive away?" Zatanna asked.

Damian remained quiet. Zatanna let out a sigh, "Alright, we'll go there. But it's going to be dark."

"I'm not afraid of the dark."

Zatanna smiled at him, taking out the GPS. They rode in silence for a while, the only noise was the soft music from the radio and the humming of the car.

"Why did you leave?" Damian asked suddenly.

"What?" Zatanna asked, jerking back.

"Leave. Why did you disappear after you father died?" Damian asked again.

Zatanna gave him a look, "That's a weird question. How did you know that I left? I didn't even know you till now!"

"Dick used to talk about you a lot. He was trying to find you, but you disappeared real good. And then all these other people were trying to find you to, but then they gave up."

"Other people? Like who?"

"Artemis, Wally, Conner, Megan, Kaldur. All these other people too."

"Ah, of course. Old high school friends. They still hand around Dick?" Zatanna asked.

"Wally said that as long as Dick gives him free food, he'll always be there," Damian said seriously.

Zatanna burst out laughing, "That's sounds like something Wally would say. I'm glad they're still friends."

"You didn't answer my first question. Are you trying to avoid it?"

"Uh, no. Not really. It was just, I needed space, okay? I just needed to get away from everything. I needed to go see the world, forget everything that happened."

"Then why did you come back?"

Zatanna was silent for a moment, trying to think. How the hell does a six-year old become so damn inquisitive?

"Hey, look! We've reached!" Zatanna said, parking the car in an empty lot.

She got out, pulling her coat around her tighter because of the chilly wind. The park looked exactly how she remembered it, just a lot darker and deserted. She remembered the first time she went here. It was after school, and Dick had persuaded her to come with him. They had spent hours talking about everything, and then Dick had kissed her right under the old willow tree.

Zatanna turned red, thinking about the times she had spent here with Dick. He had been her best friend, and then he had become something more. But now, she wasn't exactly sure where they were.

Damian had wondered off, and Zatanna raced off to keep track of him. Millers Park was in the centre of Gotham, closer to the rattier side of Gotham. Thankfully, no creepy people were around, but Zatanna didn't exactly feel safe with an expensive car and a six-year old in tow.

"Damian, we should probably head back now! It's getting cold," Zatanna called out to him.

Damian shrugged, sitting on the dewy grass, "I'm used to cold. My grandfather raised me in a cold climate."

"You were raised by your grandfather?" Zatanna asked, giving in and sitting down with him.

"My grandfather and his assistants. They taught me how to live, how to be strong. I was happy there."

To be strong? What was that supposed to mean? Zatanna didn't think that that was a healthy childhood, but then again, she was raised by a travelling magician.

"How did you come to live with Bruce?"

"My mother thought it would be better if I lived with my real father. She said I would benefit from it," Damian said, a hint of bitterness to his voice.

"Oh," was all Zatanna could say.

Once again, they sat in silence, enjoying the cool night air. It wasn't exactly the social hub Zatanna was craving, but it was nice to be out of the house. And it was also nice to be able to get to know Damian. He was still a puzzle to Zatanna, but at least now, she felt like she had a couple of pieces.

Damian suddenly jumped up, looking around wildly.

"Dami? What's wrong?" Zatanna asked.

"I heard footsteps. I think someone's-" Damian was cut off by a man swinging a punch to his gut.

He doubled up in pain, and then fell to the ground. Zatanna screamed and jumped up immediately, trying to get a good look at the shadowy figures. She raised her fists above her face, kung-fu style, hoping that she looked a teensy bit intimidating.

Obviously, it didn't work, because a heavily muscled man was heading straight for her. She managed to dodge him, but the other man behind Zatanna picked her up roughly. She tried punching at him, but them man simply held her hand down.

"You punched a fucking six-year old!" Zatanna yelled at him, squirming to get away.

The burly man didn't respond. He proceeded to drag Zatanna away, but something black and shiny whizzed past him and struck his hand. He let go of Zatanna with a shout of pain.

The two burly men stumbled forward, trying to find the mystery assailant. Zatanna couldn't see much properly, but she could hear the sickening crunches of punches and kicks. She could see the outline of one man, holding something that looked like sticks? He was knocking of the attackers with an almost graceful ease. The figure managed to knock them both out, and then he came into Zatanna's field of vision.

Even in the dark, Zatanna could tell that he was extremely muscular, and he was wearing some black body suit with a blue thingy on it. He had a mop of dark hair, and his face was obstructed by a domino mask.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Doesn't Batman wear a cape?" Zatanna asked back.

The man gave her a look, but she couldn't really see his facial expression, "I'm not Batman."

"Nightwing," Damian choked out, trying to get up.

Zatanna rushed to his side and picked him up, cradling him. He seemed to lean against her like a dead weight.

"It's okay, Dami. We'll get you home, and then you can rest, okay?" Zatanna murmured into his hair.

Damian nodded at that, and let Zatanna place him in the backseat of the car. She then turned towards her mystery saviour.

"You seriously named yourself Nightwing? What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Zatanna asked him.

"Look, I just saved your life. Would it kill you to be a little thankful?" Nightwing snapped irritably.

Zatanna sighed, "Okay, fine. I am thankful for you saving us, I'm just a little… shaken up. It's not like I get jumped every day."

Nightwing snorted, "You must be one of the lucky ones, then. And these weren't just any kind of muggers. They're high class henchmen."

"Oh, I feel so honoured," Zatanna said sarcastically.

"Somebody must've sent them after you," Nightwing explained with exaggerated patience, "Somebody with a lot of power. Now, what could you possibly have done to make people chase you down?"

"Or, and here's the more likely scenario, these are just ordinary muggers who saw an easy target," Zatanna said.

"Highly improbable. I should probably check this out," he muttered to himself.

"'I'? It's me they're after. Shouldn't I like, you know, help you?" Zatanna demanded.

"A minute ago, you thought these were just ordinary muggers. Leave this to me. Take the kid home, be safe," Nightwing said.

Zatanna rolled her eyes, "Oh please! You know…" she trailed off awkwardly, realising that Nightwing was no longer than. Zatanna muttered some choice words, and then headed back to the car.

* * *

Zatanna was up early on Saturday morning, despite her only getting back very late last night. She quickly checked in on Damian, whose room was a mess, but he himself seemed to be fine, if his snoring was any indication.

Tim would still be at his sleepover, but Zatanna had no idea where Jason or Dick was. She knew that she'd have to tell one of them about the incident at the park, but she didn't exactly want them to hear about how she got Damian hurt.

Zatanna went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of excellent quality coffee. She wasn't required to do much on the weekend, so Zatanna was trying to plan her day. She wanted to check out the shopping centres in Gotham, as well as have a look at her old high school. She may have been away for only a [year] but she really wanted to see how much things had changed.

Zatanna hear light footsteps, and she looked up to see Dick, his hair and body shiny from a shower. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and Zatanna was having a really hard time trying to not focus on the V of his hips or the perfect abs on his body.

"Zatanna! Great, you're here! Can you help me with something?" Dick asked, flashing a way too charming smile.

"Do I have a choice?" Zatanna asked.

"Okay, so there's this girl upstairs. Can you tell her I had an emergency meeting and had to leave really quickly? And just try and get her out of the house, okay? Thanks!" Dick said, rushing back up the stairs.

Zatanna tried to process it when she heard a feminine voice call out, "Dick?"

A girl, wearing one of Dicks' oversized shirts, came into the kitchen where Zatanna was eating. She had blonde hair and a completely flawless face, which meant that she had actually bothered to put make-up on as soon as she woke up.

Zatanna mentally rolled her eyes. She was feeling an unreasonable amount of hate for the girl.

"Have you seen Dick around here? I thought I heard his voice," blonde bimbo said.

"Nope. Just me. Dick had to leave for an early meeting," Zatanna replied.

"And you are?" the girl asked haughtily.

"Zatanna."

"Who?"

"The maid."

"Oh," the blonde's face lit up, "You're the help! Could you make me a coffee? Black, two sugars!"

Zatanna could feel her eye twitch, but she just gave a sweet smile and said, "of course."

"Do you know when Dick will be back?"

"I have no idea. These meetings can go for a long time." Zatanna said sympathetically, adding chilli powder to the coffee.

"I guess I'll just stay here until he gets back, then," the girl said.

Zatanna refrained from chucking the coffee mug across the room. There was no way in hell that Zatanna would let Blondey here stay in the house. She grabbed a wireless phone and the coffee mug and thrust it into the girl's arms. Zatanna began steering her out of the house.

"I'm sorry, Mr Wayne doesn't allow strangers to stay in the house. Call yourself a cab or something. Bye!" Zatanna said, slamming the front door in the girl's face.

Zatanna sighed, leaning heavily against the door as she heard muffled banging from the other side.

"Bravo! Nicely done, you got rid of her! Though you did let her take our mug and the wireless phone… but still! Good job!" Dick said, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

He was leaning on the doorway of the lounge room, and he flashed Zatanna a thumbs up sign.

"Dick, does this happen often? Do you usually bring girls back here?" Zatanna asked quietly.

Dick looked at her, surprised, "Why? Are you jealous or something?" he said with a smirk.

Colour rose on Zatanna's cheeks, "No! I just wanted to know how often I'm going to have to kick over-attached one night stand out of the house!"

Dick laughed, "If you say so."

"I'm not jealous. Trust me, whatever we had died nine months ago." Zatanna said primly.

Dick glared, his whole face darkening, "And whose fault was that? You suddenly disappeared, and then magically reappear, and what, expect everything to go back to normal?"

Zatanna stared at him in shocked silence. He took a deep breath, "Yeah, okay. Sorry. Forget I said that. And to answer your question, I only bring girls home every alternate Saturday, and next time, I promise to get rid of them myself."

Zatanna and Dick stared at each for a moment, and as Dick turned to leave, Zatanna called out.

"You. I came back for you," she said.

"What?" Dick asked, pausing on the stairs.

"I mean, not you as in only you, but like, you as in friends and stuff and wait, I'm rambling," Zatanna took a steady breath, "Last night, Damian asked me why I came back, and just now, I realised it was because I was lonely. I went away so I could hide, so I could disappear, but I couldn't hide from anything, and it was depressing to not have any friends. Yeah, I get the fact that running away wasn't the best idea, but I came back right? I don't expect normal, but… I'm still your friend, Dick. That will never change."

"Wow… that was speech," Dick said appreciatively.

"I would like you to know that I spent approximately 1.5 seconds preparing it in my head," Zatanna said with a smile.

"No, I mean it. It was nice to hear you open up again. Nine months was a long time. Hey, are you free Monday afternoon?"

Zatanna leant against the banister, "I don't know, Dick. You're the boss. You tell me."

Dick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, on Monday, I think it's time we visit some old friends."

* * *

"Batman to Nightwing. Status report," the tiny communication device in Nightwing's pocket crackled over the bad internet connection.

"Low crime rates, no break outs from Arkham. Everything's fine." Nightwing replied.

"And the objective?"

"Zatanna was attacked last night by two mystery men. They knocked out Damian, but I intervened before they got Zatanna."

"And I'm guessing this wasn't a random mugging."

"The men were definitely hired thugs. I'm chasing down leads on who could've sent them."

"Alright. Batman out."

* * *

Feedback is much appreciated!


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